The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
by Katie1995
Summary: A sweet one-shot  set after Breaking Dawn  between the Cullens, especially Carlisle and Esme. How are they going to decorate the enormous Christmas Tree? Please R&R!


**(A/N – I do not own the characters in or**_**Twilight**___**in any way, all rights are reserved to Stephanie Meyers.)**

**The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!**

**Esme's P.O.V.**

Christmas in my human life had always been a huge, boisterous event. My close family and extended family would come together and party as if Christmas day was the last day they would spend alive. My mother used to prepare monstrous feasts concluding of turkey, stuffing, roast potatoes, sprouts... you name it, she'd have it.

My father, although a farmer by trade, was a musician at heart. Every Christmas Eve, my sisters, aunties, uncles, cousins and mother, would gather around the piano and sing Christmas carols before it was time to go to bed.

The morning would bring stockings bearing gifts and a tree presenting itself with presents of all shapes and sizes underneath its branches. We weren't a rich family, nor were we poor. It just so happened that we were the few left hanging in between of the two class systems.

Happiness. That was what Christmas brought me as a child. Warmth and joy were the two effects Christmas created, and no matter what, I always believed it was the most wonderful time of the year.

That was, until I married Charles.

Fear. That was what replaced the happiness. Harshness and coldness. That was what replaced the warmth and joy.

No more was I allowed to invite my friends and family over. Instead, I would spend Christmas with one other person, my husband. The tree which I was so used to being sprayed with colour was now as dead as I was in my marriage. Christmas dinner was spent in silence, only when he talked to me did I talk back. If it was the other way around, I knew what my punishment would be.

Half the time, though, Christmas dinner was not to his taste. It would usually result in Charles throwing his "poisonous" meal towards me and our wall resulting in grease stains I could not get rid of, no matter how hard I cleaned it.

You would have thought though, that after experiencing two different forms of Christmas, I couldn't possibly experience more.

The answer was no.

Carlisle stood just a mere five feet away from me, tinsel in his hands, as he debated where he should put it on the glorious fir tree stood before us. And the tree was glorious, what made it even more so, was the fact that Emmett had hand chosen it and brought it directly back from the hunting trip he and Rosalie were on.

It was huge, there was no denying. Emmett had seemed to find his partner in nature through a tree, but it was perfect, nonetheless.

"Emmett, when you _casually _picked this tree to take home with you, did you take notice of how big our actual living room is?" Edward's voice was sarcastic as he came out to let Renesmee help decorate the tree.

Her chocolate brown eyes grew wide with wonder as they glittered under the fairy lights, still in progress of being placed onto the actual tree.

"Can I help, Grandpa?"

Carlisle smiled before picking our granddaughter up and spinning her around. Delighted laughter filled the air and before I could stop myself I was laughing along with her. Carlisle's eyes were alight with joy, something that after his extreme loss at work yesterday, was rare to see.

"Of course you can, my cherub."

Setting Nessie back on her feet, I wandered over to where she stood staring, and placed a bauble in her hands.

"Come on, I'll help you."

Carlisle chucked tinsel at me, earning a squeak of surprise. Crouching down, I watched he ran the other side of the tree. Waiting for the perfect moment, I pounced and poured the Golden glitter I had bought to decorate the star with, all over his squeaky clean brushed back hair.

"Esme!" He exclaimed loudly as small glittering particles fell through the air.

"Yes?" I replied sweetly, batting my eye lashes at his grinning form.

"Gotcha!" With that, I was swept off my feet and pulled into a familiar muscular chest, his lips meeting mine before I could even comprehend what was happening.

I smiled broadly as I felt his lips moving against mine, his tongue brushing my bottom lip, asking for permission I gladly gave.

"Carlisle, the children!" Came Edward's exasperated cry.

I pushed my husband away, but he grabbed me around the waist and his lips met mine again, albeit briefly this time.

"You just can't keep your hands of each other, can you?" Emmett laughed, followed by a low whistle.

"You would know," Carlisle replied, instantly, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Can we _please _decorate the tree now?" Renesmee's little voice piped loudly up from behind me and I swung round to gather her in my arms.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Il mio bambino."

Edward smiled gently, his hands still folded across his chest.

"Come on then, tell me where you're going to put your first bauble."

A small finger pointed near to the top of the tree and I tried to sound optimistic.

"We can try," I started before Emmett cut me off.

"And fail," he retorted.

Nessie stuck her tongue out at him and Rosalie laughed as Emmett pouted.

"How about a little lower, Ness?"

Nodding fervently, I placed her back down and watched her walk towards one of the tree's branches, hanging the bauble neatly on the end.

"Pretty bauble," she murmured as the metallic silver colour caught the fairy lights.

"Indeed," Carlisle replied, passing her and me two baubles each. "You get going on these," my husband whispered into my ear. "We'll get going with these."

And I watched in humour, while helping Renesmee compete the tree, as Carlisle and Emmett scaled the room, trying to wrap the fair lights around the tree. Eventually, two hours after beginning their task, the boys managed it.

"Yes, Carlisle," I bragged while holding a sleeping Renesmee in my arms, "Easy was it?"

Pouting at me, he came to stand next to me, placing a kiss on our granddaughter's hair.

"And the star?" Nessie mumbled, her sleep disrupted by Carlisle's soft kiss.

"The star," I whispered back, "Is sleeping in my arms right now."

A smile touched her lips and a long sigh left her as she fell into her world of dreams again. Before she completely went, her small hand found my cheek and the image of me and Carlisle smiling, laughing and kissing flew through my mind, followed, of course, closely by the finished product of our Christmas tree.

"Shall I take her?" Bella whispered suddenly from beside me.

I nodded and passed the sleeping bundle into Bella's awaiting arms. "Looks like this took it out of her," I whispered in response, a smile placed gently on my lips.

"Thank you, Esme, everyone," Bella continued, "For doing this. I know Nessie's going to have the best Christmas ever with you guys."

"You're family," I replied, naturally. "It's what families do."

A moment of silence invaded the room before she sighed, Edward joining her, placing his arm around her shoulders. "But it seems weird, doesn't it?"

"Weird in what terms?" Carlisle asked, mimicking Edward.

"The fact that we have no need for Christmas dinner this year."

Smiling fondly I reassured her, "Oh, don't you worry, my dear Bella. You can be sure to expect Christmas dinner. Jacob and his pack are coming over, as well as Sam now. Nessie will be hungry too, so like I said, don't worry."

"You know this how?" Bella questioned, rolling her eyes slightly, a laugh lacing her words.

"Because I've been a mother for eighty odd years now, and Nessie is going to experience her first Christmas meal, even if we won't eat any."

Bella hugged me with one arm, whispering in my ear. "Thanks, mum."

I nodded, squeezing her back before letting her go to put her daughter to sleep.

And Christmas this year was going to be exactly the same as it did when I was a little girl, minus the eating.

**A/N – A little Christmas fic for you! Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Please Review and let me have a Christmas present early! Thanks, Katie1995 :)**


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